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September 17, 2009Contact: Pamela RussellCoordinator of College Programs413/542 8229

AMHERST, Mass.—On Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the MeadArt Museum’s William Green Study Room, four AmherstCollege students who received the college’s competitive Mead/Fine Arts Summer Fellowships for 2009 will present brief reports on their varied and rewarding experiences working at arts organizations this summer. Information on the fellowships—which were made possible with generous support from the Mead, the Department of Art and the History of Art and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty—as well as a list of prior recipients and application procedures for 2010, is posted on the Mead’s Web site: www.amherst.edu/museums/mead/opportunities/summer_fellowships.

Oscar Bedford ’11 was awarded a $1,000 fellowship in the practice of art to prepare a photo-documentary on his family and cultural identity; he will give a video presentation of his project. Colombina Valera ’10, who was awarded a $1,000 fellowship in the history of art, worked as an intern at the cutting-edge, multidisciplinary DNA Gallery in Provincetown, Mass., as well as at Zone Contemporary Art in New York. Porsche Dames ’12, awarded a $500 fellowship in the history of art, worked as an education intern at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, home to a comprehensive collection of art from the Himalayas. Ashley Hogan ’12 was awarded a $500 fellowship in the history of art to participate in the intensive Summer Institute in art museum studies at SmithCollege in Northampton, Mass.

“Now, perhaps more than ever before, the Mead/Fine Arts Summer Fellowships offer vital financial assistance to students as they pursue their interests in the arts,” said Elizabeth Barker, director and chief curator at the Mead. “It has been an honor to be able to offer that support, and it will be a pleasure to learn about our fellows’ experiences—and adventures!—on the 29th.”

The MeadArt Museum houses the art collection of AmherstCollege, totaling more than 16,000 works. An accredited member of the American Association of Museums, the Mead participates in Museums10, a regional cultural collaboration. During the academic term, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, please visit the museum’s Web site, www.amherst/museums/mead, or call 413/542-2335.